928 Miles from Home is a tense and emotional adventure story about a 14-year-old with big dreams. Calum dreams of writing movies and escaping from the complexities of his life. These include managing on his own because his dad is frequently away, and keeping in with the important gang at school who don’t like foreigners. Calum’s life is changed not by finding the stardom he craves but because his dad’s Polish girlfriend and her son Sergei move in. He learns to overcome his prejudices as he and Sergei work together trying to crack the mystery of break-ins at the local community centre. But Sergei seems to have something to hide. Can Calum work out what it is? Becoming a writer was a fairytale-come-true for Slater, who will talk about the inspiration behind her novels and share tips for young writers.